old_world_gamingfandomcom-20200213-history
Herrimault
"When noble honor doesn’t exceed the reach of a sword, our bows and blades reveal that shame. The people know our bowshots still fall short of our honor in comparison." Basic (KotG) The harsh laws of Bretonnia turn many Peasants into Outlaws. The acts that many nobles commit with impunity turn many Outlaws into avengers. The Herrimaults hold themselves above both groups by keeping to a strict code of morality. Whilst they operate outside the laws of Bretonnia, they do so because the laws are unjust. A Herrimault always acts rightly. Of course, most Bretonnian nobles see no difference, and so the Herrimaults are hunted as enthusiastically as other Outlaws. A Herrimault’s ethical obligations do bring popularity among the peasants, and the braver souls often seek to join up. Even a few nobles, shocked by abuses they are unable to legally prevent, have been known to take up the bow of the Herrimault. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Animal Care or Charm, Concealment, Dodge Blow, Gossip or Secret Signs (Ranger), Outdoor Survival, Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Silent Move Talents: Marksman or Specialist Weapon Group (Longbow), Rover, Seasoned Traveller Trappings: Bow with 10 Arrows (Longbow if you have Specialist Weapon Group (Longbow), otherwise a Bow), Light Armour (Leather Jerkin), Shield Career Entries Agitator, Carcassonne Shepherd, Charlatan, Coachman, Grail Pilgrim, Hunter, Innkeeper, Knight Errant, Man-at-Arms, Noble, Peasant, Rogue, Woodsman Career Exits Demagogue, Grail Pilgrim, Scout, Thief, Vagabond, Veteran Note: Women can only become Herrimaults if disguised as men. A Day Among the Trees Despite what tavern talk would suggest, herrimaults do not plot the downfall of despotic nobles at all hours. As with any life, there are the everyday aspects overlooked by those who glorify this vocation from the outside looking in. Herrimaults, living on the run from local law enforcers, often have makeshift camps within many woods and copses. Home is rarely more than a tent or lean-to, pitched daily to allow movement at a moment’s notice. Only those far from any pursuit can afford to settle in lodgings that are more permanent. At their most secure, the best herrimault camps are caves in which they might live until discovered. Foraging and hunting for food takes most of one’s day, since a herrimault can’t go to market or risk approaching a friendly farmer for food. Hunting and foraging adds to a herrimault’s problems, as nobles often consider any game or wild edibles to be their property and anyone else consuming them is guilty of poaching. Next in importance is the maintenance of a herrimault’s weapons and tools. This constitutes everything from cleaning and sharpening blades to crafting new arrows. A life constantly under threat of attack or capture increases one’s reliance upon weapons especially when such equipment is not easily replaced. Only after solving daily survival issues do herrimaults scheme on how best to force an end to the abuses of power within Bretonnian society. They know the best way to end corrupt actions is to expose said noble (or his activities) before his peers or betters—honourable people who can truly censure or prohibit abuses a noble visits upon vassals. Aluthol Drurilke The wood elves within the Loren Forests traded crafts and food for ages through only a handful of trusted go-betweens, including Hugo Dorshield. That changed three years ago when a new baron came to Quenelles. The obstinate Baron Henri de Findrais insisted that elves were a dishonourable influence on Bretonnians due to their projectile weapons and their ability to see magic. He also made it a crime to consort with the elves in any way. Hugo Dorshield’s elf lover fell to the arrows of the baron’s hunting parties, and the human abandoned his leather goods shop to take to the trees of Loren. Hugo directs his revenge not at the hunters but the bigger game of their liege lord. A former hunter himself, Hugo knows to bait his prey toward a planned ambush. He has captured baronial hunters and knows the baron’s overlord is due for deer hunting. Hugo plans overt harassment (peppering coaches or camps with arrows from hiding, startling horses with whistling arrows, etc.) to stoke the temper of the Baron de Findrais and lure his party deeper into the forest. The man knows the baron may likely expose his immoral actions and prejudices before the eyes of greater nobility. If not, Hugo and his few elf allies can confront his lies directly as they return his “cannibalized” men to him and ask about the fate of their envoys sent to the baron.